Gold 440 Yards, Blue 413 Yards, Silver 373 Yards, White 357 Yards, Red 335 Yards
For an opening hole, Palmer 1 is a challenging way to start the round.
It has a very wide fairway on a side hill that slopes from left to right. The green is not visible from the tee.
The wall on the left side is out of bounds all the way, so the safe shot appears to be to the roomy right side. But large, grown, branchy mango trees block the green on the right side.
The ideal line is to the middle left, where big bunkers guard and grab any tee shot that does not carry over the top of the hillside.
Welcome to the notorious Arnold Palmer course, the first of The Orchard’s double-barreled championship treats to members and guests.
If you have managed to stay on the left side to safely approach the heavily bunkered first green, you will likely have a downhill lie to a multi-sloped putting area. Do not take this green for granted, and try to keep your ball below the hole to give yourself an uphill putt. Downhill putts on this green are fast and break a lot.
If you manage to two-putt this hole, pick up and quickly move on to the next.
